SW03ES

As far as I know from the numbers Lexus didn't decline in ratings, other companies simply did better.

Actually it was the Kia Amanti I was thinking of...

No problem, I enjoy it ;)

I didn't like the 3 pod gauges either but I've gotten used to it, thats going to be Lexus' new style and I wouldn't be surprised if the next LS has them also. I also didnt like the 3 spoke wheel at first either, and thats also grown on me.

Yeah, I'd buy it. And no, there's no 500 ;)

Look online with www.lexus-parts.com or other outfits. I've seen online Lexus dealers sell Lexus wheels (even the big SUV wheels) for $250 or so a peice. Bear in mind you'll need tires too.

Must be the area, mine is almost flawless, as is the new system on our Prius.

Man oh man...

I enjoy doing them. Maybe we should set up a "Car Review of the Week" it'd be a good excuse for me to drive a car every week :D

430 or 300?

AH I gotcha.

Probably the Lexus dealer is your only bet right now unless you can find an 05 in a wrecking yard somewhere. You can find OE wheels all over the place, but usually you have to wait a while after a new model comes out.

I don't think so, you're paying insurance and upkeep on 2 seperate vehicles vs just one. I doubt the lower depreication will work out to your advantage. My suggestion would be to keep the cars in better condition mechanically and physically. Its easy to sell a high mile car as a highway car as long as its in good shape. My other suggestion would be to always sell them yourself vs trading them in.

Review of the Avalon is posted in the General section.

I'm workin on it I'm workin on it! :D

Matt- Not here, but they are on CL. But then again some people on CL are kinda...you know...hung up on themselves and their cars. It almost seems to me like they've taken the creation of this car as an insult...

Eh, I don't know. The two cars are different and appeal to a different buyer. My bet is they'll sell them but it will be to different buyers.

Yep, did it myself in 15 seconds and ordered it from Lexus-Parts.com If you order don't forget to use your Gold Member code for your discount ;) Its very easy to install, the black cover just pulls towards you, the disc ejects like on a DVD player and the system automatically updates to the newer disc. Its a crime dealers charge to do this as anyone who can watch a DVD can do it.

Check it out guys http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...15&t=18341&st=0

Check it out guys: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...15&t=18341&st=0

Well guys I took the all new 2006 Avalon for a spin yesterday, wrote a little article like I did for the GS. 2006 Toyota Avalon Truly a Lexus Replacement? Yesterday I had the chance to sit in and test drive a new 2006 Toyota Avalon. There's been a lot of buzz and even anger around the Lexus community about this car and accusations of Toyota putting too much into their flagship sedan and devaluing the Lexus brand. I just had to see if everyone's fears were justified or not. The car I drove was a dark blue/tan interior Limited model, fully loaded with leather, "wood", navigation, the JBL Audio, XM Radio (installed and activated), VSC/Trac, automatic wipers, HID headlights, signal mirrors, drivers side autodimming. The works, priced out at $38,500, $1,170 less than my ES300 and about the same as a fully loaded 2005 ES330. EXTERIOR The styling of the car in person is handsome. It bears absolutely no resemblance to the Lexus GS, it is very long with very long rear doors and a long wheelbase with a short front overhang and a longer rear one. Some of the inherante quirky design elements I didnt like about the previous Avalon are still around, like the weird angle in the rear. Dual exhausts are a nice touch, even if they're not functionally neccisary. The new 17 inch wheels are well crafted from dark polished and machined alliminum. The front and rear slightly remind me of the outgoing Infiniti M45 with the flat front and upwardly angled rear end. Its attractive but would take some getting used to. The car is significantly longer than my ES300, probably 4 or 5 inches. It may even be longer than the LS430. Given the inherant comparison of this vehicle to a Lexus I examined the exterior and the wheel wells and door jambs to the Lexus to see about quality of fitment and detail. Not bad, the Toyota lacks some of the trim characteristics of the Lexus, one seal in the doors (Lexus doors are triple sealed) and doesn't have the carpeting around the rear wheel well to reduce noise Lexus uses nowadays. INTERIOR Like I've said before the smart key system is a great invention...needs to be on everything and I think it eventually will. My first opinion of the interior of the Avalon was positive. Comfortable seats, good isntrumentation, nav screen nice and high, LOTS of room. My enthusiasm was somewhat tempered when I started fully poking around in the car and discovered some of the reasons why they were able to deliver the car with all of its features at its price but we'll get there. Overall the quality and fitment of the materials was good, as is expected in a Toyota. The car has a beautiful birds eye maple wood steering wheel and shift knob that are very nice, the rest of the cabin is done in similar looking plastic imitation wood, which is a reasonable facsimilie. The steering wheel adjusts up and down and is telescoping. Unfortunately these controls are manual and for some reason the two functions are controlled with two different levers. To telescope the wheel you have to release a clamp on the left of the column and to tilt it you have to actuate a lever underneath the wheel. A power wheel would have been welcome. Instrumentation was good, optitron like Lexus with nice chrome trimming around the gauges. The Nav screen sits directly to the left of the gauges but unfortunately it is no longer touch screen controlled. The implementation of the touch screen isn't bad but it would take some getting used to no doubt. The controls for the nav are neatly beneath a door under the radio. I do like having a seperate radio that is not put through the nav screen. The center console has a good set of no nonsense cupholders and a nice storage space. Seat controls are simple and its easy to get comfortable. Tons of room in the rear! Dare I say, maybe more room than the LS430. The reclining seats are nice but nothing special as they're simply manual, not power like those found on other sedans. Comfort is also very good. The JBL stereo sounded great, hard to compare it to the ML though because the JBL has always been a more "rock and roll" system. Nice, big trunk. INTERIOR QUALITY This is where the Avalon lost me. The features may be there, but the quality of the interior materials was not compared to the Lexus. Cheap thin plastic on many sections of the dash, nice leather but the vinyl used on the sides and backs of the seats was much lower quality than the vinyl used by Lexus. The fake wood was another negative. Carpeting is significantly less plush and less pile. Some plastics have rough edges, like the handles in the back to recline the seats and overall the switchgear and doors for glove box, radio, etc don't operate with the same solid, fluid feel as the Lexus. Not fantastic. RIDE AND DRIVE First of all let me say that 280hp V6 needs have been put in the GS. Nice power and smooth powerband and very little torque steer which is a testament to Toyota engineering. It scuttles the big Avalon around with not much problem. Transmission shifts were good and smooth. Now comes another big difference between the Avalon and Lexus sedans. Lexus sedans ride smooth, not soft. Its a different kind of ride than say a Buick or a Lincoln, the ride is controlled just smooth. A Buick or a Lincoln feels like its absorbing the bumps in the road while a Lexus feels like its smoothing out the road as it drives, if that makes any sense. That can be hard for people moving from American luxury sedans to Lexus cars to get used to. The Avalon has a very different ride than the Lexus sedans, more American and more Buick. That is it feels boatier, like its riding over the bumps and cushioning you as it goes. Which type of ride you like is a matter of preference, but the Avalon felt more like a Buick to me than it did like my Lexus. After the experience I thanked the salesman for his time, got back into my car and left. Immediately I felt the differences in the ride and quality of the interior, there's just no question which car is the higher quality, upscale model. What we have to remember is that Lexus from the get go has been about quality, not gizmos. Think about the original LS, very few do-dads compared to its competitors of the day. It still is pretty feature light. Lexus feels that gimmicks get in the way of your long term enjoyment of what keeps you coming back, the supreme quality of the car in everything it does. I did not feel that on the Avalon, it felt like a Toyota, a nice Toyota, but a Toyota. Very nice car, but I would never consider trading my ES for it and would DEFINATELY never compare it to an LS like some have done. Its just no comparison. Any thoughts?

Mostly a California type thing??! Not really. These sales tactics are used all over the country. As for what stores they're most likely used in, again thats not true either I've seen dealerships of all different price brackets that do this kind of stuff. The manufacturer isn't to blame at all, too many franchises has nothing to do with it. People forget that sales is a people business and most people make a decision based on whether or not they like and trust the salesperson. Now, years of wrongdoing by dealers and salespeople have given people a preconived notion about how "they are" and a good salesperson attempts to break through those preconceptions and make the customer realize what they care about is that the customer has a quality experience and gets a good deal. When you focus on the customer in sales, the money follows. People who have had a good experience coupled with enough marketing and customer retention materials keep coming back again, and again, and again. No need to hook people with unrealistic prices. Think about it, when all personal connection with the salespeople is lost through wrongdoing or poor attitude then the last consideration is price. Thats why dealers have to discount. I tell my dealers to come to a price where you won't go any farther, and have enough connection with the customer that they understand and you'll do more business, and they do. They say: "I realize that Chevy of Whatever may have a slightly lower price, but we at Blank Chevy practice a different kind of car sales where the customer is the focus, because of the time and attention and care we give our customers, sometimes we just can't have the lowest price". It works.

I wasn't impressed with the Avalon at all, lots of toys but not much of the solidity of the Lexus sedans or the high quality materials. I'm going to post a similar review of it. Its a nice Toyota, but I still would have bought my ES had it been availiable at the time.

I'm workin on it I'm workin on it! ;) Give me 20 minutes :D

Actually thats a Hyundai styling theme, several Hyundais have turn signals like that.